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“Never Ever Give Up”

Jacob Butze

Jacob always lived life to the fullest. He craved adventure, experience, and excitement. He loved everyone and walked his life with a smile and determination that we all strive to have, we miss you.

Jacob Butze was born in February of 2000. That time is significant. It was a new year and new millennium. Jacob was born amidst the changing calendar and before our world would be rocked with terrorism. While times were filled with tumult, Jacob possessed a quiet and honest demeanor.

Jacob grew up with a passion for learning. He looked up to his grandfather, better known as Poppa. A scholar, Poppa challenged Jacob’s critical thinking early and often. They spent hours solving problems. Jacob was often wrong according to Poppa’s calculations. Then after learning how he came up with his answers, often Jacob was correct. His path was just a bit different yielding a correct answer.

Jacob picked up a love for music very early in life. He was a self-taught guitarist, ukulele player and keyboardist. He was also a classically trained double bass player. Jacob listened to music in all forms, never settling for one genre. His dad remembers saying to him, before going to high school across town that he better not listen to country. “He loved country. There was nothing I could do. I just accepted it,” his dad said with a chuckle.

Early in his life, Jacob picked up the love for sports. He excelled in hockey, lacrosse, running, ultimate and many games. His father was his youth hockey coach for many years and remembers how Jacob would refuse to call him “dad” at the rink. “When we walked into the grounds of an ice rink, Jacob called me coach. He just wanted to be one of the other players. Playing for his teammates was always his goal, regardless of sport.

Jacob’s path veered from that of many of his peers in high school. Jacob made the decision to attend St. Edward High School, in Lakewood, OH. St. “Ed’s” is a across town. Jewish boys from Shaker Heights never go to parochial schools across the Cuyahoga River. He didn’t know anyone and accepted the challenge to push his boundaries of comfort. It was his best decision. There, he made friends with peers and staff alike. Jacob’s senior year theology teacher recently told a story about Jacob which sums him up. ‘I was in my first day teaching and very nervous. I went to St. Ed’s and still had a brother there. Jacob was in my first class. My voice was breaking and I was stuttering. Jacob raised his hand and said, ‘Mr. Williams, it’s cool. You’re going to do fine. We got you.’ Immediately, I was calm. What kind of kid does that? Jacob Butze.”

Jacob graduated St. Ed’s with honors and entered Miami University’s Farmer School of Business. Jacob immediately contracted mono and never skipped a beat. He missed one class the first month. His impact on students and faculty was immediate. He joined Alpha Kappa Psi Business fraternity and Delta Chi social fraternity. Jacob’s team took top 3 in his first case study, hosted by Deloitte. He joined AK Psi’s student board in charge of Alumni Affairs and held the position for two years. His impact in such a short time is evident by the stories from his college peers.

In April of 2019, Jacob was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). He was forced to leave school and enter the Cleveland Clinic where he stayed for 30+ days. Jacob spent the next year with times of medical emergencies, uncertainty, ups, downs, pain, physical suffering and much more. That is not his story, however.

Jacob faced his ailments with the same passion as he did other parts of his life. He was the best advocate for his own care. He spent hours studying his disease, treatments, side effects and learning everything he could. He knew exactly what he needed daily. Jacob was atypical. His disease was atypical. He loved the challenges. Jacob was not a person who had to look back with regret or try and hurry up to “fit” things into his life. He had a quiet resilience that drew people closer.

On December 22, 2020 we were all told Jacob’s days were numbered. The disease had done too much damage. He looked at his mother and said, “It’s OK. We will be alright.” He spent those last days surrounded by friends and family. More importantly, he was selflessly reaching out to friends and family to care for his beloved sister, Ana. Jacob made sure to let his friends know that she is now their little sister and she needs a lot of care. Even in his last moments Jacob was thinking of others. He had a fervent sense of G-D and faith that carried his actions. In his final hours, Jacob’s last words were to his family. He whispered two final words. “Thank You.” Those of us who were honored to know you are truly thankful for having known you.